Closure member



Aug. 26, 1924. 1,506,285

R. H. BINNS CLOSURE MEMBER Filed May 16, 1922 WITNESSES BY \W INVENTOR 6 z'izms' 1 Patented Aug. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES RALPH H. BINNS, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

CLOSURE MEMBER.

Application filed May 16,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH H. BINNS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Closure Member, of Which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a closure strip, and aims to provide certain new and useful improvements in connection with a device of this character.

It is a well appreciated fact that a closure member has been placed upon the market which involves the use of a pair of strips, which are associated with two portions, of a covering or layer of material, these strips presenting opposed arms arranged in spaced relationship, and each of these arms in turn presenting a head and a recess. cludes an actuating member which embraces both of the strips, and causes movement of the arms associated therewith in such a manner as to cause the arms of one strip to move into the spaces existing between the arms of the second strip, the heads associated with both of these arms being also caused to move into the recesses aforementioned to thus lock the strips with respect to each other. Also this actuating member when moved in a diiferent manner causes a disengagement of the arms from the position aforementioned, to thus permit of an opening of the closure, and a pull element is commonly associated with the actuating member to permit of this movement to accomplish the results desired.

This closure has proven extremely efficient, and desirable, but an objection has been noted incident to the fact that one portion of these strips must necessarily engage at all times, incident to the fact that the actuating member will not operate unless three or more of the arms already interengage with each other. Thus a closure member of this nature has been heretofore incapable of association with two elements which were adapted to be entirely removed from one another.

Thus my present invention aims to rovide a closure strip embodying essentially the structure aforedescribed, but also presenting a structure which will permit of the complete disengagement of one strip from another.

Also a closure of this nature iii-- 1922. Serial No. 561,383.

A further object of the present invention is that of providing a device of the character stated which will in nowise interfere with the conventional construction of the closure member, and its associated actuating element, but will permit the latter to be freely operated to cause a disengagement or an engagement of the closure strips with each other.

lVith these and further objects in mind, my improved type of closure member embraces the combination of suitable closure strips, each presenting arms which are adapted to interengage, and also including an actuating member, which causes the engagement or disengagement, together with means whereby the actuating member may be moved to a position at which the strips will be completely disengaged from each other to permit of the complete removal from one another of those portions to.

which the strips are attached, and which will afford the ready reassembling of the parts into their operative relation.

Reference is had to the attached sheet of drawings as illustrating one practical embodiment of my invention, and it Will be seen that- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a closure member embodying the conventional construction, and showing my improved structure in association therewith.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail of the device as shown in Figure 1 partly broken away illustrating the conventional co-operation of the strip port-ions.

Figure 3 is a sectional plan view of the device shown in Figure 2 and taken along the line 3-3 of this latter figure, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional transverse view taken along the line 4.-4l of Fi ure 1.

As in conventional construction of closure members of the nature aforedescribed, it will be seen that the reference numeral 5 indicates the strips which present outward ly extending arms 6 having headed ends 7, and being formed with recesses or depressions in their under edges, as in Figure 2. Further, the reference numeral 8 indicates the channeled actuating member which rides along the strips 5, and causes the arms to assume an engaged or disengaged position as in Figure 2.

Contrary to conventional construction however, it will be noted that the adjacent edges of the lower ends of the strips 5 are curved away from each other, as has been indicated by the reference numeral 9, thus causing the arms of the respective strips, at their lower ends, to assume positions at right angles to each other. However, I continue one of the strips in the form of a track 10, and by virtue of having the arms disposed at diverging angles with respect to each other at the ends of the strips, the actuating member will be guided over the track until disengaged therefrom, at which time said member will be carried by the angularly disposed arms of the strip opposite to that to which said track is secured.

In use, the actuating member 8 may be moved along the strips .5to cause the same to engage or disengage, as in the usual construction. However, assuming that these strips are to be completely disengaged, it will be noted that the actuating member 8 may be caused to move until it rides over the track 10, and to a point beyond the same. It will be found when the parts reach this position that the actuating member 8 is carried by that strip 5 with which no track is associated, and the opposite strip may now be completely removed. Upon it being desired to bring the strips into engaged position again this may be done by causing the actuating member 8 to move over the track 10, it being-noted, however, that it is previously necessary to cause those portions of the strips adjacent the curved parts 9 to be brought to a position at which the arms carried by each strip will extend into the spaces between the arms of the opposite strips, so as to provide the initial coupling necessary. The actuating member may now be completely pulled upwardly along the strips to cause the usual interlocking engagement between all of the arms, but the purpose of providing those arms adjacent the lower ends of the strips in diverging relationship with respect to each other will now be obvious incident to, the fact that this arrangement permits of these elements being manually brought to a proper position with respect to each other, whereby to insure an interengagement of both strips.

Thus it will be seen that the objects of this invention have been accomplished, and it will be appreciated that numerous modifications of structure might readily be resorted to without in the least departing from the scope of my claims;'which are:

1. A closure member including in combination a pair of strips, interengaging arms associated with said strips, an actuating member carried by said strips and adapted to cause an engagement and disengagement of said arms, the end of one of said strips being extended beyond the end of the sec- 0nd of the same, said second strip being curved away from said first named strip at a point adjacent its end.

2. A closure member including in combination a pair of strips, interlocking arms secured to said strips, adjacent ends of which diverge to separate the arms carried by said ends, an actuating member slidably associated with said strips for interlocking and disengaging said arms, and means carried by one strip at its divergingend for guiding said actuating member from vengagement with said strip to entirely separate said strips.

3, A closure member including in combination a pair of strips, interlocking arms secured to said strips, adjacent ends of which diverge to separate the arms carried by said ends, an actuating member slidably associated with said strips for interlocking and disengaging said arms, and means carried by one strip at its diverging end for guiding said actuating member from engagement with said strip to entirely separate said strips, said actuating member being adapted to be carried by the arms at the diverging end of the, otherstrip when said member is disengaged from the first named strip.

4. A closure member including in combination a pair'of strips, interlocking arms secured to said strips, adjacent ends of which diverge to separate the arms carried by said ends, an actuating member slidably associated with said strips for interlocking and disengaging said arms, and a track forming a continuation of one of said strips at its diverging end for guiding said actuating member from engagement with said strip to entirely separate said strips.

5. A closure member including in combination a pair of strips, arms secured to each of said strips and adapted for interlocking engagement with the arms of the other strip, certain of said arms on one strip being disposed at angles with respect to the arms on the other strip, an actuating member slidably associated with said strips for inter locking and disengaging said arms, and a track member associated with one of said strips for guiding said actuating member into and out of engagement with the last named strip.

6. A closure member including in combination a pair of strips, interengaging arms associated with said strips, an actuating member carried by said strips and adapted to cause an engagement and disengagement of said arms, the end of one of said strips being extended beyond the end of the second of the same and a track carried by said first named strip at a point beyond the end of said second strip.

RALPH H. BINNS. 

